Grandma sentenced for killing young granddaughter, leaving decomposing body in trash

OKLAHOMA CITY (TCN) -- A 63-year-old woman will likely spend the rest of her life in prison for killing her 3-year-old granddaughter and leaving her decomposing body in a trash can for several days.

KOCO-TV reports Becky Vreeland pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in connection with the death of her granddaughter, Riley Nolan. A judge sentenced her to 45 years in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 85% of her sentence, which equates to about 38 years. Court records show a charge of desecration of a human corpse was dismissed as part of the plea deal.

On June 21, 2022, Oklahoma City Police Department officers responded to a home on Southwest 151st Street and were informed about a deceased child at the residence. Officers located Nolan’s body in a trash can and noted she had "obvious signs of trauma to her body."

According to court documents cited by KFOR-TV, Vreeland claimed she discovered the child’s body on June 18, 2022, but waited several days to tell anyone "because she was so upset."

She reportedly told police that when she woke up on the morning of June 18, 2022, she saw Nolan wasn’t asleep in her bed. She saw the trash can lid was closed outside even though she "advised she had placed toys inside the trash can the night before and she had left the lid open." Vreeland reportedly said she noticed a ladder next to the receptacle that had not previously been there.

Vreeland opened the lid and "saw Riley’s feet sticking out of the toys and Riley’s head was below the toys."

Vreeland reportedly "could tell Riley was not alive" after feeling her feet. KFOR reports Vreeland "left Riley in the trash can because she was so upset and she did not want to tell her son about Riley’s death, until he had been released from jail, and had been able to have Father’s Day with the other kids."

According to KFOR, Nolan’s siblings told police they saw Nolan with a bruise on her forehead. The medical examiner determined Nolan died from blunt force trauma to the head. She reportedly also had a skull fracture and additional injuries to her head. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide.